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right arm posted:yes. it is not a hypermotard Correct. It is a tall bouncy monster/super light and small multi, which is nice, but something is definitely missing.
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Feb 23, 2022 00:35
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Well it's basically a HM with a different seat E: ah I see
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Feb 23, 2022 01:35
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Steakandchips posted:I have a Softail, the Fat Bob, which I am not getting rid of! I know, I was being kind of sarcastic. The R18 is just going to be a worse version of the Fat Bob. Maybe something like an Indian FTR? When I got my Scrambler it was between that, the FTR, or the Triumph Bonneville. I wanted something similar to what I was used to, but different enough that I was getting a new experience. Ultimately I went with the Ducati Scrambler because it was cheaper.
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Feb 23, 2022 03:11
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Come on guys the R18 will surely have redeeming features. I'll bet it has the smoothest shaft drive in the segment. I'll bet it has the least NVH in the fatigue frequency range of any 1500+cc twin. I'll bet it has the slickest gearbox throw of any forward-control equipped cruiser. I'll bet the headlight is first in class, and that all of these claims will be rigorously backed by numbers. It's hard to believe how bad I don't want one!
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Feb 23, 2022 06:01
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i once saw a magazine ad for a pickup truck, one of those ones where it's just a picture of the truck surrounded by a bunch of quotations and blocks of stars two prominently featured quotations were "BEST IN CLASS" and, lower down "IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN"
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Feb 23, 2022 07:09
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Slavvy, try a test ride on one. You may enjoy it!
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Feb 23, 2022 09:03
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Steakandchips posted:Slavvy, try a test ride on one. You may enjoy it! You may like orange bikes with cans You may like them, Slavvy, man You may like them with a boxer You may like them with fox shox, or You may like orange bikes with cans You may like them, Slavvy, man!
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Feb 23, 2022 10:21
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Would you like one on a track? Would you like one with a passenger on back? Would you like one on the trails? Would you like one with race rails? Would you like one on the freeway? Slavvy will you ever cut KTM some leeway?
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Feb 23, 2022 17:22
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Finger Prince posted:You may like orange bikes with cans Incredible.
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Feb 23, 2022 17:47
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Steakandchips posted:Incredible. Boxer Seuss Seriously though bmw and 'enjoy' aren't really things that live in the same room unless you're talking about one of the S1000 family bikes. They are an extremely plush and efficient way of getting from one place to another, while techincally riding a motorbike. Literally none of the experience appeals to me and applying these same elements to a cruiser doesn't sound fun. I've already ridden a buttload of sterile metric cruisers with all the 'bad' parts 'fixed' by well-meaning engineers, combining that with the devastating boredom of a boxer isn't my cup of tea. BMW, sadly, are not in the habit of handing out test rides to broke plebs like me. Strangely, harley are willing to throw me the keys to a thirty grand bike as long as I show up with a license and helmet and don't look too gang-membery.
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Feb 23, 2022 21:21
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This is the great thing about Harley, they know how to loving sell bikes to people who want to try one out. West Coast Harley: "Passed your test? Good enough for me, just take it easy for the first few circles around the block, then get on the motorway to really open her up! Enjoy!". One ride on a nice one that had the right ergos in the showroom, after you just had a sit on a few around the shop, and that's it, you're reaching for your credit card. They loving get it, man just passed his test, same week he's looking at bikes, they know he wants to buy now. I bought the 2nd bike I test rode (Fat Bob; the first bike I test road was the Indian Scout, too stretched out for me leg-wise, but else fantastic). Indian too, nice AF, threw the keys at me and told me to bring it back with at least a little petrol in it. Ducati, on the other hand, actively hate bike buyers. They go out of your way to dissuade you from coming to see the bikes, let alone test ride them. "No, you can't test ride anything without at least a year's experience on a full license." Just gently caress off mate, I wasn't asking to test ride a blinged up Panigale, just your smallest Monster. BMW in Stirling didn't mind at all letting me take their cars out, having literally passed my car test the week before. Trust me, I didn't show up looking rich, I was scruffy AF and slightly muddy from the bike ride to the BMW showroom. Lets see what BMW Motorrad is like re-test riding the R18 (they don't seem to mind in theory, they don't have one in stock for me to try out at the moment in Aberdeen).
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Feb 23, 2022 22:34
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I have no experience with just showing up at a dealership and asking for a test ride, but Ducati's test ride events in the Netherlands are really accessible, provided you register for a time slot the second the registration opens. I wanted to ride the Panigale but on every single day that week it was already fully booked on the day the registration opened. I rode a 2020 monster in 2020 (lovely) and a 2021 Supersport SS in 2021 (meh) that way. In 2020 they just gave you the bike (because of c19 reasons no group activities), sign a waiver for damages and speed tickets and asked to be back in 45 minutes. 2021 was a group ride, and that's what they usually do. KTM did exactly the same. I am tainted now because SMCRs and Dukes are hella fun.
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Feb 24, 2022 13:45
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When I brought my Scrambler in to get a new tire after an unfortunate flat, they told me they were backed up with maintenance and that it would take the whole day. The guy who sold me my bike went and grabbed the keys to a Monster 821, threw them to me and said see you at 4PM - my Ducati dealership has always been great.
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Feb 24, 2022 23:36
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After a sadly brief* test ride on an '03 ZRX1200R today, I've learned that what I thought I wanted is not what I want. The ZRX's specific ergos aren't quite for me with the pegs as high and back as they were, but more importantly I think I do not actually want that much bike for the short backroad and highway rides I have in mind. I'd be delicately rotating the throttle about 5 degrees most of the time. Really glad I rode one as it seemed to get something out of my system, and I've now got a tactile sense of what the upper end of sportbikes feel like at around-town speeds. *"Brief" meaning we drove 2 hours into L.A. to ride a pretty blue ZRX with a dent in the tank, 32k miles at $4500, which ostensibly needed nothing but tires. The owner runs a Yamaha shop, listed the things that were serviced and it all sounded good though it hadn't been ridden more than 80 miles in the past 5 years. Anyway I got there, and he gave me the keys right away without hesitation (which seems crazy but maybe the bike is peanuts to him). A few miles in, at a stoplight the idle speed wobbled, dropped really low, and stalled out. The starter button did absolutely nothing. Waved traffic by, pushed it to the side of the road. In neutral, check, kill switch on, check, just dead. I called the owner, he drove up and it started right up for him, but then it stalled out again and wouldn't start for him either. Wires were wiggled. It magically started after nothing in particular. In the course of limping it back to the shop with him following in his car, we found that it would start reliably as long as the clutch was out in neutral, he seemed to understand why but I don't yet. Since I'm not accustomed to holding throttle while braking, the low idle speed meant I was killing it every stoplight and restarting before enjoying that satisfying kerchunk into 1st that slavvy earlier described as a hammer dropped in a metal sink. Pictured below is the bike while I waited for the owner to arrive! It's still very pretty, but the ZRX is not for me. I'm going to start looking closer at standards that are available 2012+ and see what a budget adjustment can do. Not bought: Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Feb 27, 2022 |
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Feb 27, 2022 03:56
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That’s really astute of you. Too bad it isn’t what you need, that’s a good lookin bike.
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Feb 27, 2022 05:58
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That was another thing I'm surprised by, photos at that range really don't show a lot of relevant details. There were homegrown taped wires at the console, in addition to the tank dent there was clear scraping on the crankase, muffler etc. indicating it having been down in motion on both sides at some point in its life, calipers corroded (no more than could be expected on a 20yo bike). I zoomed those pics in on facebook as close as I could and saw none of this, and my photo from today looks just as clean.
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Feb 27, 2022 07:45
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:That’s really astute of you. Too bad it isn’t what you need, that’s a good lookin bike. Dittoing this The Rex was a grail bike for me before I ever even rode it in anger, so to turn one down based on it not meeting your needs is a position I cannot comprehend, but do respect Considering the Rex is a big himbo UJM and not a sportbike, and actual big sportbikes are going to largely have more aggressive or peaky power delivery and be even harder to live with in town, I'd definitely let that inform your decisions moving forward.
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Feb 28, 2022 06:07
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I had a ride today that helped reframe my needs- our best local rides are in the foothills with a lot of blind turns, occasional switchbacks and single-lane bits that are shared by cars, bicycles and motorcycles. Much of the time is spent moving between 5-35mph, particularly for me as conservative as I am about sight lines. Solo on the vanvan 200 was perfect for the ride excepting it lacks a certain... stability? while heeled over that my gs500e had. So: -soft seat with un-cramped peg position for passengers -Good power in the low-to-mid rpm range -light and nimble, course corrections are commonly needed -more power than the 45hp gs500e -less power than a ZRX =Ducati Scrambler Icon with comfort seat? Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Feb 28, 2022 |
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Feb 28, 2022 06:53
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Ok so basically everything you want in terms of handling character is the opposite of what makes a good bike for passengers. Good pillion bikes are usually slow to change direction because they're long and heavy. There is a direct trade-off between passenger comfort and the size/weight/agility of the bike, because stability and weight carrying capacity pretty much correlate directly with wheelbase and mass. I would look at the vstrom 650 or similar light ADV bikes. Anything that remotely resembles the scrambler will be garbage for pillion use. Anything that is genuinely good at pillion work will feel impossibly large and heavy to you. You might also benefit from looking at the Triumph boneville. They are in a similar space to the rebel in that they're Just A Bike with cruiser sympathies, so they're satisfyingly meaty and stable, but don't have the crippling handling and ride comfort deficiencies of a 'real' cruiser. Big, tame, slow revving motor, logical tyre sizes, lots of ground clearance, very low seat height.
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Feb 28, 2022 07:21
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Remy Marathe posted:I had a ride today that helped reframe my needs- our best local rides are in the foothills with a lot of blind turns, occasional switchbacks and single-lane bits that are shared by cars, bicycles and motorcycles. Much of the time is spent moving between 5-35mph, particularly for me as conservative as I am about sight lines. Solo on the vanvan 200 was perfect for the ride excepting it lacks a certain... stability? while heeled over that my gs500e had. Moto Guzzi V7, preferably a version iii, or the new 850cc if you have the budget for it.
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Feb 28, 2022 07:28
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A Fat Bob.
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Feb 28, 2022 08:49
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Remy Marathe posted:-soft seat with un-cramped peg position for passengers These two are in pretty direct opposition to each other.
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Feb 28, 2022 14:18
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Have anyone here touched a Kawasaki GT550? Looking at it to winterize and use my sidecar on. It has shaft drive + rear drum brake, big gas tank. What I find on the internet is that it really really solid built, and no real problems. It was used a lot by bike messengers. Supradog fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Feb 28, 2022 |
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Feb 28, 2022 14:19
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Its a UJM, and everything that entails. BUT!!!!!!! Square headlight 
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Feb 28, 2022 15:06
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:Its a UJM, and everything that entails. Wonder if a Rex cowl fits  Remy, again this is just my particular experiences talking, but I'd second the DL650 or other light-to-middle tallbike. The riding dynamics are closer to "serviceable" than "engaging", but it's an SV650 motor (almost, it's got different cams) so at least that's lively. I got on with mine ok for a decade before the Rex so it must have been doing something right. And I can confirm that the pillion seat is about as comfortable and spacious as you could ask for on something not purpose-built to tour. Bonnie's a good idea too. Phy fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Feb 28, 2022 |
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Feb 28, 2022 17:09
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Sounds like Burgman 650 territory tbh
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Feb 28, 2022 17:15
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Slavvy posted:Ok so basically everything you want in terms of handling character is the opposite of what makes a good bike for passengers. This should be shouted from the rooftops for anyone who is serious about riding 2 up a significant amount. I spent more than a decade buying and selling bikes that I thought would be able to straddle the line between "fun" and "good for passengers". I wouldn't call it wasted time because more bikes = better, but after 2 FJRs (first one died in a wreck), an FZ1, a Multistrada, a GS+sidecar, and more aftermarket seats, footpegs, back rests, and top cases than I care to think about, I just sucked it up and bought a GoldWing, and it's what I should've done from the loving get-go. Not having to stop every 45 minutes so your passenger can get feeling back in their butt or them not smacking their helmet into yours when you have to brake suddenly aren't listed as features for big touring bikes but absolutely should be. A sidecar fixes those issues (plus it lets you take your 60lb+ dog for a ride), but it drastically changes how a bike handles and makes everyday riding into a workout. Mid-sized touring bikes can be excellent for solo riders, but are a bucket of compromises for 2 up. Your passenger, and hence you, will never be really comfortable riding together on anything less than a full-on touring bike that actually has pillion comfort in mind as a priority, not an afterthought. Make your purchasing decisions with that in mind.
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Feb 28, 2022 17:51
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Got it, thanks again everyone. I can see we're going to need to decide where we fit between duration & comfort vs zip and simplicity. The furthest we're ever likely to go in a single run without stopping is about an hour, Mrs. Marathe is determinedly against the larger beasts and not at all interested in longer tours. This is half unfair because she doesn't know how the weight comes off when motion, but half fair due to her short height and leg strength issues that make mounting anything vaguely tall difficult. She actually likes the banana seat of the vanvan, much of the drive for this upgrade is coming from me because I don't like my stopping distance and the way the shocks will bottom out when a pothole takes me by surprise. Adding a number of those mentioned to the list; and poo poo maybe it IS burgman 650 territory, but I don't know if I could get used to my knees touching.
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Feb 28, 2022 18:56
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There's other maxi scoots to consider if you're looking, like the yamaha majesty and t-max. But also check out press photos of the Guzzi V7. If you're both not large, have great asses that look good in skinny jeans, and you like being little spoon, it'll give you an idea what riding two up on one looks like. A Bonneville will be similar. It's funny, the V7 is the only non-touring bike I can think of (I'm sure there are others) that prominently features riding two-up in the official press photos.
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Feb 28, 2022 19:32
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Finger Prince posted:There's other maxi scoots to consider if you're looking, like the yamaha majesty and t-max. Vitpilen 701 featured it with two famous people but it's pure fantasy.
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Feb 28, 2022 19:40
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Yeah I think recent-ish Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7's are looking like the current likeliest fits. I also like that the passenger is on nearer the same level so when I brake her weight hits more toward my hips than lower back. This does mean we'd continue to clank helmets, maybe I put a bumper on the back of mine...
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Feb 28, 2022 20:51
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Remy Marathe posted:Yeah I think recent-ish Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7's are looking like the current likeliest fits. I also like that the passenger is on nearer the same level so when I brake her weight hits more toward my hips than lower back. This does mean we'd continue to clank helmets, maybe I put a bumper on the back of mine... That's why they always show the riders in half helmets. One squashed nose and the pillion quickly learns to keep their head back.
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Feb 28, 2022 22:10
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Finger Prince posted:There's other maxi scoots to consider if you're looking, like the yamaha majesty and t-max. Please stop recommending guzzi to anyone for any reason, you are causing genuine harm by doing this. They are not fit for purpose with just one person on board let alone two. A bonneville is not remotely similar beyond being roughly in the same ballpark of size and weight, chiefly because the bonneville is an actually functional motorcycle that wasn't engineered by morons. Literally better off on an enfield. Remy Marathe posted:Yeah I think recent-ish Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7's are looking like the current likeliest fits. I also like that the passenger is on nearer the same level so when I brake her weight hits more toward my hips than lower back. This does mean we'd continue to clank helmets, maybe I put a bumper on the back of mine... See this is where the whole 'bike actually made for passengers' thing comes in because those have grab handles for the pillion so their weight never crashes into you at all.
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Mar 1, 2022 00:23
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Slavvy posted:Please stop recommending guzzi to anyone for any reason, you are causing genuine harm by doing this. They are not fit for purpose with just one person on board let alone two. A bonneville is not remotely similar beyond being roughly in the same ballpark of size and weight, chiefly because the bonneville is an actually functional motorcycle that wasn't engineered by morons. Literally better off on an enfield. I'm gonna keep doing it and doing it and doing it until someone finally buys one, even if that person is eventually me.
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Mar 1, 2022 00:28
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Like the dudes who wanted to find out just how painful a box jellyfish sting is, the only morally acceptable path is to do it to yourself first.
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Mar 1, 2022 00:31
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Didn’t you once argue in favour of Guzzis, something to do with dropping or not dropping them and their jutting out cylinders?
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Mar 1, 2022 00:53
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Steakandchips posted:Didn’t you once argue in favour of Guzzis, something to do with dropping or not dropping them and their jutting out cylinders? You must have taken a trip into the mirror universe where I'm clean shaven and wear an SS cap. I have repeatedly told an anecdote about how they like to nuke the cylinder head on the dropped side, though. I am literally, right this moment, working on a griso. I took a break to post the fact that you have to remove the fuel tank to replace the plugs, on an air cooled flying V, because it has twin spark heads and the inner ones are not accessible. They are also different to the outboard ones, and the only reason I'm doing this at all is because someone told the owner that slathering the plugs and leads in grease was cool and good and for some reason it won't run properly now?
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Mar 1, 2022 02:50
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Slavvy posted:See this is where the whole 'bike actually made for passengers' thing comes in because those have grab handles for the pillion so their weight never crashes into you at all.
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Mar 1, 2022 03:14
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Guzzis are good. If you mean the vintage ones. And by vintage I don't mean 80s.
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Mar 1, 2022 04:16
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Supradog posted:Have anyone here touched a Kawasaki GT550? They are absolutely bulletproof *but* rare enough and old enough that parts availability is going to be a serious problem. The two people I know who owned them (well one 550, one 750) both let them go because it became impossible to find a particular part (I *think* it was the cush rubbers in the rear axle but it was years ago) because it was specific to those particular bikes and there was nothing that could even be bodged into working.
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Mar 1, 2022 12:37
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